PREVIEW: Max Anstie and Tom Vialle ready to start East Region Supercross Championship!
This weekend at Detroit sees the beginning of the Eastern Region AMA 250cc Supercross Championship, starting just five weekends into the season this year, so a whole new cast of 250 riders will duke it out in support for the main 450 class. The IMPORTANT NEWS about Detroit is that it is an afternoon race, so British fans can see Max Anstie start his campaign at a comfortable 8pm this Saturday evening!
Words Ben Rumbold / Supercross Live. Featured Image: Supercross Live
In a pre-race virtual Press Conference, Max was very upbeat about his prospects for the new season, full of confidence with a World Supercross Championship trophy on the mantelpiece behind him! With exactly the same schedule as last year, he is in a comfortable place, and that is usually a factor that makes a big difference to Max’s speed and consistency. He made it clear that Supercross is now his sole focus, and deflected suggestions that he might race a 450 in the future unless he was forced to as a double 250 Regional Supercross Champion!
Fresh from defending his #1 plate in Australia, and claiming a new one in WSX, Max Anstie is Britain’s big hope for AMA success in 2024. (Image: Australian Supercross Championship)
A rider’s racing number is determined by how many points are scored the previous year, until they achieve enough to lock down a career number. Max moves up from #63 to race #37 this season, and the Firepower Honda man is certainly showing great speed on the test tracks. He is certainly a contender, especially as nothing has changed in his world year-on-year for the first time since his MXGP days.
The other major European contender, Tom Vialle, is in a similar position with a year under his belt, and has had “a much better off-season than last year” in preparation for picking up the #16 plate – the highest spare number available after the retirement of Zach Osbourne. The new KTM SX250-F is a “big improvement” says Tom, and no doubt he has been working on his whoop speed to bridge the gap to those with years more experience on them.
The man who will wear the SMX World Champion’s special green on purple plate (it looks blue-and-yellow so it’s retro enough) is the #38 of Haiden Deegan. He has done enough already to secure that number for the rest of his career, and immediately he was hit with questions about a suspected injury he picked up at the end of 2023. He confirmed that he sprained his left wrist and that he will be racing with a Roczen-style brace on it, but declares that he’s good to go for his first Regional Supercross crown. We shall see! See after this pic for the official word from Supercross Live.
Haiden Deegan has had to overcome a slight wrist injury as he hits the new season with the SMX World Champion’s plate. (Image: Supercross Live)
Monster Energy Yamaha Loads Up in the East:
Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing is planning a complete takeover of the Eastern Regional with five riders announced to be on the gate in Detroit. Returning 250SMX Champion Haiden Deegan will sport the purple plate while searching for his first 250SX Class win. Stilez Robertson (three podiums in three seasons) is looking for a breakout performance and looking for his first victory, plus Enzo Lopes (38 starts, six top-fives). Nick Romano and Daxton Bennick are expected to make their 250SX Class debuts in Detroit with high expectations.
KTM, Honda, GASGAS, and Husky Sport One Man Squads:
Redbull KTM’s Tom Vialle will return to orange after a solid rookie season with six top-10s in a full 10 race season. Honda’s Chance Hymas was given a cup of tea in last season’s 250SX Class with solid results (4/4 in top-10 finishes). Guillem Farres is set to debut onboard a Husqvarna while teammate Casey Cochran is still looking to become eligible through the Supercross Futures system. Pierce Brown brings his four career podiums in 26 250SX Class starts back to GASGAS in what could be a renaissance season.
Tom Vialle has had a much better off-season and is ready to go for the title in 2024. (Image: Red Bull KTM Factory Racing)
Pro-Circuit Kawasaki’s Green Gang:
Mitch Peyton’s Kawasaki squad is one of the most experienced crews racing the Eastern Regional. Austin Forkner has 12 250SX Class wins which is the fifth most all-time, only four away from tying record holder James Stewart. He has the most 250SX Class wins without a title to his name. Cameron McAdoo brings 43 starts, two wins, and 17 podiums back to Pro-Circuit where he has been a perennial title-contender when healthy. Seth Hammaker has also been a title contender before injuries derailed him. He has a victory, five podiums, and seven top-fives in only 11 250SX Class starts across two seasons.
Other Potential Top Finishers:
Jeremy Martin and his Club Yamaha is the most experienced athlete in the Eastern Regional this season. He has six wins and 20 podiums in 59 career starts. Martin has the second most top-five finishes in the history of 250SX Class racing with 40, only six behind all-time leader Martin Davalos. Triumph Racing debuts with Jalek Swoll and Evan Ferry in what could be a Cinderella-esque squad battling for top-10s or better this season. Max Anstie and his Fire Power Honda round out a very solid “others” list and definitely is a dark-horse Championship contender.
Detroit 250 East Entry List:
